Improvement in sewing-machines



T. K. REED.

Sewing Machine.

v Patented Aug." 7e., 1866.

/NvE/VTOR.'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

T. K. REED, OE IEAST EEIDGEWATEEASSIGNOE `To ELMEE TowNsEND,

-I OE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. y

IMPROVEMENT `IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming of `Letters Patent No. 57,047, dated August 7, 1866.

To all whom fit may concern.-

Be irnown that I, TIMOTHY K. REED, of East Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in SewingMachines; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms partot this specitication, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

In that class of sewing-machines in which a hook or crochet needle is employed in forming and interlooping the stitches it is cusptomary to employ some mechanical device to prevent the hook, as it passes through its previously-formed loop (with its new loop) from catching in the thread or bow of such previously-formed loop.

One method of effecting this isto have the needle partially rotated before its hook passes through the loop with its new loop, 'so that the hook is carried to the opposite side of the loop from the bow.

Another method is what `is known as the Butterfield77 or Townsend cast-ofi",77 where a slide is brought up over and so as to cover the opening to the hook.

The object of `my invention is to dispense with the use of a slide or any mechanism acting upon the needle-hook, and with the rotative movement imparted to the needle, and to employ instead thereof a mechanism which shall act directly upon the loop of thread and so swing it around the needle as` to carry its bow to the back of the needle or against that side thereof opposite to the hook.

It is the impartation of this swing movement to the loop, or the carrying of the bow of the loop round against the back of the needle that constitutes this invention.

The main view of the drawings represents a front elevation of so much of a sewing-machine mechanism as will enable the invention to be clearly understood.

The machine shown is what is well known Aas the Townsend wax-thread machine,hav

ing a hook-needle operating from below the worksupporting surface.

a denotes the post, on top of which is the circular plate, forming, the work-supporting surface, immediately around the path of the needle. bis the pressenfoot; c, the awl; d, the needle, c the thread-guide, all working in the ordinary manner. The cylindrical needle-carrier f passes through a rotary sleeve, to the top of which is fixed a collar, g, from one side of which a rod, h, extends up vertically, or nearly so, aside of the needle-carrier, as seen in the drawing.

The bottom of the sleeve bears a bevel-pin ion, i, to which motion is imparted by a segmental gear on the rear face of a rocking-plate, k, hung on a pivot, Z,.and havinga cam-slot,

`m, in which a pin, @projecting from the needle-carrier, works.

The reciprocating vertical movements of the needle-carrier impart, by means of the camslot and pin, reciprocating rotary movements to rod h around the needle." y AThisrllhas at its upper end a horizontal'proicction or loopfinger, o ,yvhicheXtends up to, or nearly to, the path'o'f the needle. It is this finger that regulates and insures the proper position of the loop for the descent of the hook, and its operation is as follows:

When the needle is at or near its lowermost position, as seen in the drawing, the rod and f loop-finger are in the position there seen, the thread drawn down by the hook extending from the hook up to the work, as shown by the red line. Now, as the needle begins its ascent the pin n, acting in the curved part of the cam slot, th rows over the rocker-plate 7c, and thereby communicates a rotary movement to the rod h. As the finger inits rotation comes against the loop the two threads are laid in the angle made by the finger and rod and the finger swings .the loop around the needle, the finger, rod, and loop assuming the position seen at A, or carrying the loop from the position with reference to the hook seen at B to that seen at C and A.

This movement of the linger and its action upon the thread take place during the rst half of the needles ascent, the iinger and thread remaining stationary during the last part of the needles ascent, and so continuing during the first half of the needles descent, or until the hook has passed through the loop, and its unobstructed passage through the loop is inwhich the needle is passing by swinging the loop around on the needle, substantially as described.

2. Combining` with the hook-needle and other mechanism the reciprocating rod and its tinger7 the rod receiving its-motion, and the linger acting on the thread substantially as set forth.

T. K. REED.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. BRYANT, ANDREW MGLAREN. 

